Every 8-K that Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) has filed with the SEC in the last 24 months is listed below, newest first, and each one links through to the document itself with the summary and the scores our analysis gives it.
A 8-K covers material events a company has to report between its quarterly reports, so if you follow PLAY and want that one kind of document rather than the whole filing history, this is the page to keep. The company's other filings, of every form, are on the full PLAY filings page.
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) announced key leadership changes, appointing Amanda Busby as Chief Operations Officer and Derek Sample as Chief Accounting Officer and principal accounting officer, effective August 11, 2026. Both executives bring long tenures in restaurant, hospitality, entertainment and leisure industries.
Busby’s employment agreement includes a $450,000 annual base salary, a target bonus equal to 70% of salary, and a one-time equity package of 72,464 RSUs, options for 74,294 shares at an exercise price of $8.97, and PSUs for up to 55,741 shares that vest based on same store sales performance. Sample’s agreement provides a $315,000 base salary, a target bonus of 50% of salary (prorated for 2026), and a one-time grant of 39,019 RSUs, options for 52,006 shares at $8.97, and PSUs for up to 39,019 shares.
Both agreements provide 12 months of base salary and medical premium continuation, plus earned and pro‑rated bonuses, if terminated by the company without cause or by the executive for good reason, subject to release and restrictive covenants, including non‑competition and non‑solicitation periods. The company also highlighted broader executive team appointments across marketing, technology, legal, strategy and revenue management.
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) reported weaker results for the second quarter of fiscal 2026 ended August 4, 2026. Revenue was $544.1 million, down 2.4% from a year earlier, with comparable store sales down 2.9%. The company posted a net loss of $12.5 million, or $0.36 per diluted share, versus net income of $11.4 million, or $0.32 per diluted share, in the prior-year quarter. Adjusted EBITDA fell to $98.9 million from $129.8 million.
For the first six months of fiscal 2026, revenue was $1.10 billion, and the company recorded a net loss of $6.8 million, compared with net income of $33.1 million a year earlier. However, Adjusted free cash flow improved to positive $19.5 million from negative $36.5 million, supported by $160.6 million of operating cash flow and proceeds from sale-leaseback transactions. Available liquidity was $492.1 million, and the Net Total Leverage Ratio stood at 3.5x.
The company opened six new domestic stores in the quarter, reached 250 company-owned stores, and plans two additional remodels and at least one more international franchise opening during the remainder of fiscal 2026. Management emphasized its “Back-to-Basics” strategy, cost-saving initiatives, and a focus on returning to same-store sales and EBITDA growth.
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. announced a leadership transition in which Chief Executive Officer Tarun Lal retired effective August 3, 2026, and Chief Financial Officer Darin Harper was appointed CEO and a director. Lal will remain as an advisor through January 31, 2028 under a consulting agreement.
Harper’s new employment terms include a $650,000 base salary, target annual bonus equal to 100% of salary, and long‑term incentives targeted at 115% of salary, plus a one‑time $6.5 million equity grant split among performance‑based stock options tied to a 2x 60‑day VWAP hurdle, time‑based restricted stock units, and performance stock units linked to Same Store Sales growth from late 2026 through 2028. Former CEO Lal will receive a monthly consulting fee of $85,833.33, a $6,000 medical payment, pro‑rated 2026 bonus eligibility, and partial acceleration of stock options. The company named Cory Hatton interim Chief Financial Officer with a $1 million equity grant and adjusted board roles so Kevin Sheehan serves as Lead Independent Director and James Chambers as Chair.
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. reported the results of its annual shareholder meeting held on June 18, 2026. Six nominees — James P. Chambers, Tarun Lal, Nathaniel J. Lipman, Charles H. Protell, Kevin M. Sheehan and Allen R. Weiss — were elected to the board with more votes for than against.
Nominee Scott I. Ross received 8,668,800 votes for and 10,571,385 votes against, which was not a majority of votes cast. In line with the company’s bylaws, he tendered a conditional resignation. After review, the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the board chose not to accept his resignation, reaffirming his board appointment.
Shareholders also ratified KPMG LLP as independent registered public accounting firm for the 2026 fiscal year, with 23,403,645 votes for and 54,000 against. An advisory vote approving compensation of named executive officers passed with 11,162,874 votes for and 8,077,556 against.
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. reported softer first quarter fiscal 2026 results. Revenue was $559.2 million, down 1.5% from the prior year, with comparable store sales declining 5.4% over the same calendar period in fiscal 2025.
Net income fell to $5.7 million, or $0.16 per diluted share, from $21.7 million, or $0.62 per diluted share. Adjusted net income was $7.8 million, or $0.22 per diluted share, versus $26.7 million and $0.76 a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA declined to $123.2 million from $136.1 million.
Despite lower earnings, Adjusted free cash flow improved to a positive $25.3 million compared with a negative $58.8 million in the prior-year quarter, and the company ended the period with $499.1 million of available liquidity. Management highlighted progress on a "back-to-basics" strategy, ongoing remodels, and domestic and international store openings.
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. appointed Charles H. Protell, President and Chief Financial Officer of Golden Entertainment, to its Board of Directors and Audit Committee, effective April 27, 2026. His background spans senior finance and investment banking roles across several firms.
Director Atish Shah, current Audit Committee Chair and member of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee, will not stand for reelection at the June 18, 2026 annual meeting but will serve until then. After the meeting, the Board will decrease from eight to seven directors, and Nathaniel J. Lipman will become Audit Committee Chair.
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. reported weaker results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2025. Fourth quarter revenue was $529.6 million, down 0.9% year over year, with comparable store sales down 3.3%, or an estimated 1.5% excluding Winter Storm Fern. The quarter swung to a net loss of $39.8 million, or $1.15 per diluted share, versus net income of $9.3 million a year earlier, and Adjusted EBITDA fell to $111.4 million from $127.2 million. For fiscal 2025, revenue was $2.1 billion, down 1.4%, and the company posted a net loss of $48.7 million versus net income of $58.3 million in fiscal 2024, while Adjusted EBITDA declined to $436.6 million from $506.2 million. Management highlighted ongoing remodels, new store openings, international franchising, liquidity of $482.9 million, and expressed expectations for 2026 increases in same-store sales, revenue, Adjusted EBITDA and more than $100 million in free cash flow.
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment (PLAY) reported one-time equity grants to three executives—Darin Harper, Tony Wehner and Antonio Bautista—under its 2025 Omnibus Incentive Plan. As a condition, each agreed to cancel certain previously granted performance stock units.
The awards include Restricted Stock Units of 22,026 for Mr. Harper and 11,013 for each of Messrs. Wehner and Bautista, vesting in three equal installments on July 14, 2026, July 14, 2027 and July 14, 2028. Time-based stock options of 22,026 for Mr. Harper and 11,013 for each of Messrs. Wehner and Bautista carry a $22.70 exercise price and vest on the same dates.
Performance Stock Units include 11,013 “Single Goal PSUs” per executive, earned upon achieving at least 3% positive same store sales growth for four consecutive quarters through February 1, 2028, then time-vesting over two years. Another 11,013 “Multiple Goal PSUs” per executive are tied to 2027 Adjusted EBITDA between $600 million and $675 million and average same store sales growth of 3%–5%, with outcomes adjusted by relative TSR versus the S&P 1500 Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure Index.
Stock price-based options include 60,327 (Harper) and 41,794 (Wehner/Bautista) at the Grant Price, earned if the 60-day VWAP reaches 2x the CEO Strike Price before February 1, 2028, and 47,934 (Harper) and 28,271 (Wehner/Bautista) at 1.5× the Grant Price, earned if VWAP reaches 3x the CEO Strike Price; earned options vest during the first to second anniversary of each attainment date, subject to conditions.
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. filed a current report to furnish information about its financial performance. On September 15, 2025, the company issued a press release announcing its results for the second quarter of 2025, and that press release is included as Exhibit 99.1 to this report. The company notes that the information provided under the results of operations section, including the exhibit, is being furnished rather than filed, which affects how it is treated under securities laws.
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ: PLAY) filed an 8-K to report the outcomes of its 18 June 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders. The principal disclosure is shareholder approval of the 2025 Omnibus Incentive Plan, which became effective immediately and is filed as Exhibit 10.1. The plan replaces prior equity programs and will govern future stock-based compensation grants.
Board elections: All seven director nominees were re-elected. Support exceeded 95 % of votes cast for six nominees; one nominee (Atish Shah) received 76.1 % support, indicating elevated opposition compared with peers.
Auditor ratification: KPMG LLP was reaffirmed as independent auditor for fiscal 2025 with 99.3 % shareholder approval (28.20 M for, 0.09 M against, 0.01 M abstain).
Say-on-Pay: Advisory approval of executive compensation passed with 98.1 % support (24.37 M for, 0.46 M against).
Omnibus Incentive Plan vote: The plan received 90.4 % support (22.49 M for, 2.35 M against). The proposal expands the share reserve and updates award types, enhancing the company’s ability to attract and retain talent.
No financial performance metrics, transactions or earnings data were disclosed in this filing. The event is primarily a routine corporate governance update rather than a value-changing development.